Pistoff - your comment about crowds going after new releases triggered something I had completely forgotten. When they released the "insight on the Scriptures" they had limited quantities. So they announced that it would be limited to one per head of the household. When I got to the front of the line I was told that I couldn't have one, since the head of the household had to be male. Of course they all knew I was a single parent raising four small children on my own.
Born-ins (childhood memories)
by tornapart 52 Replies latest jw experiences
-
-
sooner7nc
The dread of telling my classmates and friends that I was JW and trying to explain the bullshit to them. That dread would almost choke me.
-
oldlightnewshite
Getting punched every day at school coz they all knew I wasn't allowed to fight. Eventually, even the kids with asthma and glasses thought they could get some kudos by punching me in the back of the head. Being bright at school and winning faculty prizes, which my parents couldn't be arsed to attend when they were presented. My parents never came to parents evening, obviously because Armaggeddon was just around the corner, so my education wasn't important. I remember being stopped by a creepy guy with glasses on my way home from school. He tried to get me into his car. I think I was 8 years old at the time. I ran away from him, and hid. I wrote his registration down on a wall in a chalk stone I found on the floor. I told my mum when I got home, and said we could call the police, and have him arrested. Guess what? It didn't happen. My mum just had 'the troof' in her head so didn't give a shit. Later that week a couple of kids from our school were molested. Thanks jehovah. I remember being rewarded by the teacher (because I'd finished my work early) and was chosen to go and give the head cook a birthday present. I was six years old, and didn't know what a birthday was. I went into the kitchens, and presented the cook with her present, and wished her happy christmas. I didn't know the difference. At least she got a laugh out of it. I have memories of asking to be excused from Humanities lessons when the subject of evolution came up. I even presented the teacher with the Creation book, to try and bring her into the troof. I have a vivid memory of when a new JW kid moved to our school. I think I was 11 at the time. My mum told me I had to make friends with him. I approached him in the cafeteria line, and just as I was about to introduce myself, he told another kid in the queue to 'f**k off'. I really delighted in telling that one to my mum.
I think mostly my childhood was just trauma, depression and the constant feeling of exclusion. I almost felt like I was another species. Stuff got worse when I hit puberty and had secret girlfriends. They all thought I was gay coz I wouldn't go all the way.
Jehovah, if you exist, thanks a lot. Go and do one.
-
blondie
A pedophile non-jw father
and
an alcoholic jw mother
-
ShirleyW
When did this abstaining from lethicin start with the Dubs ? I haven't been to a meeting since the 80's, so did it start after that time, because I've never heard of it.
Or if it did start before the 80's I guess the good little Dubbies in the NYC area didn't pay it any mind.
-
serenitynow!
James Brown, I guess my mom didn't get the memo about lecithin being off limits for JWs. My mom used to make us take tablespoons of that crap daily. It was thick, and would stick in your mouth. It was like having a mouthful of rubber cement. I don't know what was worse, the spoonfuls of lecithin, or the spoonfuls of cod liver oil!
-
exwhyzee
When did this abstaining from lethicin start with the Dubs ?
The first time I heard about it was in the early 70 when I was in elementary school. They even said Elmers Glue and Dentyne chewing gum couldn't be used because it had lethicin and therefore had blood in it. Lethicin in food production is normally plant based See this earlier thread about it
-
ShirleyW
Thanks Ex for that attachment.
Well I was school age in the 70's, so if my mother heard about that that she would've DEFINITELY tried to get me to adhere to that BS JW rule.
Since I was a kid at the time if my mother tried to take away my candy bars I would've certainly remembered and I never heard any of my peers say that happened to them either.
Like I said in an earlier post maybe (some) of the congs in NY either didn't know about it or didn't adhere to it.
-
Princess Ashe
broken promise
"The kids also thought I was a lesbian because I couldn't show any interest in boys "
same here. it didn't help either that I was a little muscular for a girl. even the other witnesses questioned!!!
4th grade I colored a bunny for easter and it was hanging up in my class and my mom came to my class for a field trip and later at home she had to remind me of her dissappointment.
We had a thanksgiving lunch in 5th grade and a guy said prayer before the lunch and I was thinking uh? that sounds like prayers we say at the kingdom hall but that cant be right jws are the only ones that know how to do all that stuff.
getting christmas gifts from my friends in middle school and feeling like crap because I couldn't give anything back to them
my friend wanting me to sneak out to her sleepover birthday party but being to scared to...
sitting out during pep rallies in the office. I ended up going to a few and I saw an elders son there....
-
Magwitch
Way too many horrible memories, but here are a few…
· Constant fear that the great tribulation would be much like the Holocaust. I would be imprisoned, separated from my family, raped, starved and tortured. Always worried whether I would have enough faith to stand up for Jehovah and take the abuse that shortly was to come.
· In the mid 70’s (I was about 10), my family purchased a tape recorder. We 5 kids loved it. On the first day, my brother 2 years older than me dared me and my oldest brother to say the Pledge of Allegiance into it. We did and he ran and played it for my parents. I was BEAT with a belt. I could barely walk for days.
· We stopped buying my cat’s favorite cat food because it had blood in it.
· I found out my Zodiac sign and read my horoscope in the paper. I told my oldest brother and he told me that the demons would probably start attacking me. I prayed so hard at night for months for Jehovah to send his angels and protect me.
· Waiting after the Thursday night meeting for my father’s elder meeting to end. Many times they went to midnight. We lived in the Boonies and all the elders lived between 20-60 miles away. So the elder meetings had to be after the meeting.
· Sitting through my father give the Sunday talk “A Godly View of Sex and Marriage” for the hundredth time.
· In my Senior year of HS I started regular pioneering. Two years later, a friend from MN moved to our area. She was also a regular pioneer. We decided we would get a cheap apartment and live together and pioneer. When I told my parents they said “The only way you will ever leave this house is as a bride” So I married the first man that came along.